Healing Together
by fortheloveofawerewolf
Summary: Katniss and Peeta find each other, both fighting painful memories and trying to get through the day without collapsing. AU. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Let me know if you enjoy this and want more, I'm working on editing the next chapter now, so it should be up in a few days.**

Katniss stood outside her door, hand clenched over the handle. Her teeth came together as she tried to push them away. She can do this. Happy place. Happy place. Happy place. No, she can't.

With a cry of angst, she slid down the wall and landed in a puddle on the floor. She didn't know how long she was there. Probably a few minutes. A noise told her a door down the hall opened and she looked over to see who it was. Her vision was swimming. Her eyes caught movement but nothing else before she slipped under.

When she came to, Katniss was on her bed, and she looked around the room. The shoes she'd been wearing were set neatly on the floor next to her closet and the purse she was carrying was on a chair next to her bed, with her jacket hooked neatly over the chair's back. A glass of water and a couple of Advils were on the nightstand along with a piece of paper. She took the painkillers and looked at the note.

Call me when you wake up so I know you're okay :)

Peeta Mellark from down the hall

Peeta Mellark. She looked at the phone number written below his name. She owed him a call for helping her out. She looked around for her phone, remembering it hitting the carpet outside when she fell. She found plugged into the wall nearby, charging; she tapped in Peeta's phone number.

He answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Katniss.. Everdeen." She added, realizing he didn't know her name. "I think you helped me out of the hallway? This is Peeta right?"

"Oh, you woke up, good, do you need anything? I wasn't sure what was wrong but it looked like you just passed out so I didn't call a doctor."

"I'm okay. Well, not okay but I'm healthy. Thanks for your help."

"Of course. Actually I was just pulling a couple loaves of bread out of the oven, can I bring one over and make you some toast?"

"You don't have to take care of me, Mr. Mellark, I haven't even met you, it's-"

"I can't eat both loaves by myself, you'd be doing me a favor by taking one so I don't have to find someone else to take it." He paused, "Please don't call me Mr. Mellark, that makes me feel old."

"Um... okay, Peeta. And that sounds really nice, go ahead and come over."

"Okay, be right there." She could hear the smile in his voice. They said goodbye and hung up.

Peeta Mellark. From down the hall. She hasn't really noticed her neighbors; no matter how long she lived in an apartment complex, she never really was a people person, and she kept to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She swung her legs off the bed and let Peeta in.

"Hey." He was a few inches taller than her, and his blond hair was wavy and fell to just above his eyebrows. His eyes were bright and blue, and very sweet. He smiled.

"Hi, Peeta, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, so your name is Katniss?"

"Mhm, come in, thanks for everything." She wished she had a tidier space but he'd already seen it anyway so he didn't give it a second glance.

"So what happened, do you know why you passed out?" No, she can't tell a total stranger the reason. But he did take care of her... He's very thoughtful, even plugged in her dying phone for her.

But he could be a psycho.

But he's a very nice psycho.

Okay. Not the whole story, just a little information.

"Yeah, it happens every now and then. I... Lost my dad several years ago and we were really close. I lost my little sister last month. I raised her so it was really hard on me. Bad few years. Severe depression." His big blue eyes filled with understanding and comfort.

"I lost my family five years ago, parents and two brothers. I'm just getting through depression too."

Her eyebrows went up a little.

"Ah, so you're just as broken as I am then..."

He laughed humorlessly once.

"Yeah, I guess so. Anyway. I'll start cutting some bread for toast, do you like tea?" Her eyes flitted down to rest on the brown paper bag he held, and a spicy sweet aroma filled the room as he walked into the next room. She didn't know if it was the bread or him.

"I love tea." He smiled again from the kitchen. She heard him filling her kettle before she followed him in.

"So, what do you do on quiet Sundays like this?" He turned to look at her while he took the golden loaf out if its bag.

"I was heading out to do some grocery shopping before..." She gestured to the hallway. He nodded.

"Do you think of shopping as a chore?"

She thought about that. She didn't give much consideration to whether or not she enjoyed shopping. She didn't particularly enjoy anything right now. But shopping seemed out of character for her, something she only did of need.

"Yeah, kinda. Not a fan of it. But it keeps my mind off of things and helps me to not starve so..." She inwardly grimaced, her words came out more sarcastic than she'd meant them to.

He smiled and nodded again, brushing off her apparent hostility.

"That's why I bake, keeps my mind off things, which is why I always end up with more than I need." He looked down at the bread he had cut four generous slices of.

"But sometimes it makes it worse, I lost them in a bakery fire. My middle brother and dad got out fast enough, but they went back in to find my oldest brother and mom. Didn't get out the second time." He ran his finger along the blade of the knife, brushing off the crumbs lingering there.

"But you got out."

He shook his head, "I wasn't there. That's the part that torments me the most is that I wasn't there when I should've burned up with them." His hand gripped the knife so hard that his knuckles flashed white before turning pink. She briefly wondered if he would go crazy and try to hurt her, realizing she'd let a complete stranger in her apartment. But he looked back at her again, his face back to normal, albeit a lot sadder than before.

"I see." Her voice was quiet and she wondered if he could hear what she said. She felt like she should share something about herself in light of his honesty. But she couldn't get the words out.

He dropped a couple slices of bread in her toaster. The kettle sang and he looked at her expectantly. She realized he didn't know where her tea bags or cups were. She pulled out a box of tea and handed it to him to get two bags out, while she looked for two mugs. She found an innocent blue one but the second was one Prim had painted for her for Christmas the last year. She decided to use it anyway.

When Peeta had poured the tea and buttered the bread, they brought their food to the living room couch. She curled up in one corner and he sat half a cushion over from her. She smiled at him,

"Try your tea, this is my favorite."

He took a sip as she dropped two sugar cubes in hers.

"It's great, I see why you like it." She took a bite of her toast.

"Peeta... This bread is so good..." He beamed with pride.

"Glad you like it." He said softly.

"I haven't had homemade bread in years, I can't bake to save my life so I just buy it from the store."

"Well I love baking, so anytime you want something fresh... I'm only three doors down." He winked.

"Very sweet of you, Peeta. What do you do for a living?" She drank her own tea, masking the jab of pain caused by seeing 'with love from Prim' painted neatly onto the lower edge of her mug. She focused on what Peeta was saying.

"I work at the bakery downtown now, I'm hoping one day to either open my own or make it as an painter. So far no progress on either..."

"True artists aren't really appreciated at first. I'm sure you're very good."

"Thanks, maybe once I'm dead people will like my artwork..." He chuckled quietly. "What do you do?"

"I work as a voice teacher in the city for now."

"You like singing?"

"Yeah. My dad taught me when I was little. His voice was beautiful."

Peeta smiled at her words but then he blushed a little.

"What?"

"I was listening to you sing through the door when I came home the other day. It was lovely. I wanted to hear the rest of the song so I sat outside your apartment but you stopped a couple minutes later, and I got the heck out of there so you didn't think I was a creepy stalker..." He looked down, swirling his tea, faint pink feathering the skin from his neck to his cheeks. She didn't know what to make of his statement. He didn't seem surprised to hear that she sang.

"Oh."

He looked back up, waiting for her response.

"I'm sorry if that's weird..."

"No! No, I'm flattered.. It just surprised me, I didn't realize I could be heard from outside..." She thought about her next words. "That day I was singing because it was Prim - my sister's - birthday. I knew she couldn't hear me from where she is now... But I think she would have liked to know I sang for her. She was turning 19." She felt a tear form in her eye and she ran her pinky over the painted words on her cup. He reached his arm out to rub her shoulders.

"I'm sure she would've been honored."

Katniss nodded, smashing her lips together to try to hold off the tears. Peeta slid closer, putting both their teacups on the coffee table in front of them, admiring Prim's handiwork as he took it gently from her sister, and wrapped her up in his warm arms. Two tears slipped out of her eyes and made little pats as they fell on his shirt.

"My brother's birthday is next week... I know what it feels like." His whisper ghosted over her neck as he rubbed her arms soothingly.

"Thanks, Peeta."

His phone buzzed on the table. He didn't move.

"Go ahead and answer it if you want, I'm okay." She sniffled and hastily wiped her cheeks of any moisture left there.

He reached over to pick it up and while he spoke, he didn't stop rubbing Katniss's arm.

"Hi Delly."

Katniss could hear the female voice on the line, briefly wondering if this Delly girl would think Peeta was cheating on her. She moved to scoot away from him but he held her there on his lap.

"Peeta, I have a huge favor to ask, I'm going on a date on Tuesday with the guy I was telling you about..."

"Congratulations, sweetie, you got him after all." She could hear Delly giggle nervously. So they weren't together..

"And... I told him I would get a couple of my friends to double with us... And I realized you're the only one who hasn't been through a bad breakup in the last six months so... Could you please help me out?"

"What about that girl you hang out with?"

"Lorra? She's out of town, and she dumped her boyfriend last week. I'll get you a date and everything, Peeta, I just need you to show up and punch him in the nose if he's a jerk..."

"I don't know, Delly..." He looked down at Katniss as Delly babbled on and pleaded from the other line. He whispered to her.

"Would you like to help her out?" His smile was genuine and his eyes were hopeful. She nodded and smiled at him. He grinned back, waiting for Delly to take a breath and pause.

"Okay, I'll go with you but don't get me a date, I have one."

"Thank you Peeta! I can't wait to meet her!"

"Bye, Dells."

"Thank you!" She hung up and Peeta chuckled as he tossed his phone on the couch beside him.

"Delly and I grew up together, she always doubles on her first dates with anyone."

"Smart girl."

"Thanks for coming with me, Katniss, I appreciate it."

"You must be a great friend to have, I hope Delly knows that."

"She's always been there for me, we help each other out when we need it."

"She sounds nice too."

"Yeah, she is."

"She didn't say where we're going..."

"She always goes to the Hob Grill."

"They have good food. I've known Greasy Sae, the cook, since I was little. She helped take care of my sister and me when my dad was gone. She's kind of like my grandmother."

"I've never met her, I don't go to the Hob usually. It's a little noisy for me, but I agree that the food is prime."

She closed her eyes. She felt very safe in his embrace. Peeta smelled like cinnamon and honey, probably from baking.

"I should let you get some sleep now, it's 9."

"Okay, I need to cook something for breakfast tomorrow before I go to bed." She spoke through a yawn.

"Do you like muffins?"

"I love muffins, I wish I could make them."

"I make a batch on Monday mornings so I can have them during the week, come over before you go to work tomorrow and join me for breakfast."

"Really? If your muffins are half as good as your bread..."

He laughed.

"Thanks, I grew up in a bakery and that's literally my job."

"Well I'll be there at 7ish?"

"7ish sounds good, I leave for work at 8."

"Thanks, I'm looking forward to breakfast for a change." They both stood and started for the door.

"Nice to meet you, Katniss, see you in the morning." He pulled her close and wrapped her in a hug.

"Thanks Peeta." And she waited as he walked down the hall, picking up on an odd clicking sound before shutting her door with a smile.

That night, her nightmares stayed at bay and she dreamed of the blond sleeping three doors down. In her dream, they were having a picnic on hills made of muffins and the basket in between them held cookies, breads and cakes, but the sweetest thing there was the flaxen haired, blue eyed man in front of her.

She woke up and looked around her, disappointed that her room was dark and very unlike the sunny muffin hills she'd left behind. She shoved her feet in fuzzy slippers. She was brushing her hair out when she remembered that she was eating breakfast with Peeta at 7. She glanced at her phone. It was 6:34. She finished with her hair, tying it in an elastic, and pulling out a couple strands from her braid. She put on her usual earthy toned clothes, picking out an olive green t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans. She put on the necklace with the bird she'd worn for years, a gift from her friend Madge. After applying some pinkish Chapstick and a healthy coat of mascara, she deemed herself presentable and unplugged her phone, sticking it in her back pocket. By then it was 6:47 and she went into the living room to read a book a student had been raving about. When she next looked at the time, it was 7:12, and she hastily stuck a bookmark in and pulled on her ankle boots. She took a breath and knocked on Peeta's door. When he opened it, he was smiling.

"Hey, I started to think you forgot about me. I'll start some tea if you want."

"Sorry I'm late, I got caught up in some reading."

He smiled back at her as he made his way to the kitchen, "That's okay, you said 7ish. I'm glad you chose me over the book." He winked at her and reached for the kettle.

She took a look around the space identical to hers. Same structure, very different.

"Your place is nice, you did these paintings?"

"Yeah, maybe one day I'll have an actual art studio to use. Do you like them?"

"Yes I do, they're extraordinary, really."

"Thanks, here's your tea." He looked pleased.

She took it and dropped a spoonful of sugar to sweeten it, noticing Peeta took his straight.

"So tell me about yourself, Katniss."

"Um, what do you want to know?"

"Let's start with what you like, what's your favorite color?"

"Green, my dad used to take me walking in the woods when I was a kid and I loved being surrounded by green. I never forget it. Yours?"

"Orange, like the sunset. Soft. It feels like a nice soft color, but warm." They sat quietly while they peeled the paper away from their soft buttery muffins.

"I had a dream I was on hills made of muffins last night... I was really looking forward to sinking my teeth into one." She left out the part that her dream-self was paying more attention to him than to his food. She took a bite. Her mouth was filled with warm fluffy muffin with still molten chocolate chips every so often. She looked at Peeta, who was curiously watching her.

"Mmmmm... So much fluffy." Her mouth was still full as she spoke and he chuckled. She noticed a flush of color creeping up his neck as she praised his work.

"Glad you like them." He took a bite of his. She swallowed another bite and looked up.

"Did you grow up here or move here recently?" She felt bad that she had no clue as to how long he's lived there.

"I've lived here most of my life, I grew up in the country that way," he pointed to his left, "and moved to the city during junior high. I moved around a lot, all over the country during high school years, and I moved in here about 4 years ago. How about you?"

"I lived way out in the country, kind of in a forest area, in a cabin, until my dad died. He was a forest ranger. My mom and Prim and I moved to the city so we'd be safer with more people around and less bears. I moved in here 2 years back."

"That's the first time you mentioned your mom," he noticed.

"Yeah... She's... More messed up than I am. I sent her to California to live with her sister the day after I turned 19, taking over as Prim's guardian. She died with my father, only her body is left and she's tried to leave that a few times too. I had a hard time looking after her, Prim and myself, working and doing school at the same time, and I neglected her most of the time, figuring she was able to take care of herself, but... I was wrong. She's getting better care with her sister." Peeta patted her hand.

"Thanks for telling me."

She smiled.

"So you like the outdoors?" He inquired, finally tasting his breakfast.

"Love it. I could live out there forever. Without even a house. I could probably sleep in trees. My dad also taught me to shoot a bow and arrow just in case. He taught me a few different defense methods for various types of attackers, mostly animal." She took another bite "Did you like the country?"

"I did, I liked the freedom, I would move back there if I had a reason, but right now it wouldn't be practical, since the bakery is here. Maybe I'll bring my family out there if I ever get married." She saw something flicker in his eyes for just a second.

"Do you want a family?"

"Yeah," he grinned, "I would love to come home to a bunch of kids and a wife. I'm a family man." She couldn't help grin back at the boyishness on his face.

"You'll be a great dad."

They sipped their tea quietly, enjoying a companionable silence and eating our muffins. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she glanced at it.

GALE - hey Catnip, are you doing better now?

Katniss texted back a quick message.

Yeah a little, thx. Met another person, tell you bout it later.

SEND

Peeta took her muffin wrapper and empty teacup from her headed for the kitchen.

She followed him.

"I have to leave for the bakery pretty soon... Thanks for coming, Katniss."

"Thanks for your hospitality, your muffins are even better than your bread."

"My pleasure." He seemed more shy and reserved than he did ten minutes ago. She figured it had something to do with texting while she was with him. Mental note to not do that.

"Maybe I'll drop by the bakery to stock up on things that I enjoy eating, since I didn't get out to the store yesterday..."

"That would be great, would really spice up my day." He seemed pleased at her offer.

He walked her to the door.

"Bye Peeta."

"Bye, I'll keep an eye out for you later, if you want me to show you which breads are best." He hugged her again, dropping a kiss on her cheekbone before pulling back, watching her eyes to make sure the gesture wasn't too much.

"I-" she cleared her throat, surprised that his lips were so soft and gentle, "I would like that. Thanks for everything, Peeta." She looked into his eyes before blushing a little and ducking out of his apartment.

She spent the morning puttering around, tidying things up for a hopefully soon visit from Peeta. She wrote down a list of things to pick up while she was out after lessons were over. Her first student was at 11, and she left for her studio at 10:30.

Upon arrival, she plopped down in a chair and continued reading the book she'd worked on that morning. It was only a few minutes before Rue and her father came in.

"Hi, Katniss, dropping off Rue," Her father announced as he patted Rue's dark curly hair. He looked at her, "Text me if you're done early, see you later, bird." Rue walked gracefully over to Katniss, greeting her. Katniss waved at her father as he pulled his car out of the lot outside the window.

"Hi Rue, ready to get started?"

Katniss entered the only bakery downtown. Glancing around, the first thing she noticed was no Peeta. Then she realized he's probably baking in the back. She inhaled the aroma of freshly baked goods, picking out a few things to try and some things she already knew she liked. She went to the counter and asked if Peeta Mellark was working today. The clerk gave a little knowing smile, and disappeared into the back. A moment later, Peeta came out, wiping his hands on his apron dusted lightly in flour with a little egg smeared in a couple places. He grinned as he saw her.

"You made it, how was your morning?"

She would never get used to - or tired of - his disarming courtesy and charm.

"It was nice, I woke up and had a very wholesome muffin for breakfast made by a very nice baker who rescued me from the hall yesterday. And my favorite student came in for voice lessons today as well. How about yours?"

"Just got a whole lot better, my pretty neighbor from down the hall dropped in to stock her kitchen and now I get to help her pick out some nice things to eat."

Katniss blushed. "So what do you recommend?"

He pulled his apron over his head and set it down on the counter before joining her on the other side. He showed her various breads with their different pros, and she selected two healthy looking loaves before moving to other types of goods.

"Poppy seed muffins, these are excellent, nothing better than a couple muffins to start the day with, right?" She smiled as he continued. "Have you tried cheese buns or these cinnamon buns?"

She shook her head, examining both.

"I'll take one of each."

With her now full bag of breads, Katniss decided she had enough food for a while. Peeta rung up her choices, and she paid for them before taking a bite out of the cheese bun.

"This... This is really really good... My favorite."

Peeta grinned.

"I thought you might like it."

"I have one more student this evening, so I need to get going..."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

"Bye!" She grabbed her bag and headed out, glancing back quickly to see Peeta just beginning to turn and speaking to a coworker animatedly. Peeta looked a little frustrated and the other girl looked like she was messing with him. Katniss got into her car, hoping his pause from work hadn't gotten him in trouble.

After putting away her groceries, polishing off a soft pretzel and finishing her book, Katniss heaved herself off the couch and grabbed her wallet and keys to head back to her studio.

This student was not her favorite. By any means.

He was there already, slouched outside the door.

"Hi Cato."

"Well hello, Katniss." He seems hostile but still flirty. Like flirting with your enemy.

"Okay, why don't we get started. Have you done your warmups yet?" She used Cato as a patience exercise. She already knew the answer to her question. It was always no.

"No, I haven't."

"Go ahead and start then," she leaned over to the piano and plunked some notes on it.

She expected an argument but was surprised when the big burly boy complied, singing to her piano chords.

The lesson went surprisingly well, and he seemed to be in better spirits than he'd been in for most of their time together.

"Um, have a seat Cato. I'm impressed at your work today, you've done better than usual. Not that I'm complaining, but what's going on?"

Cato blushed.

CATO BLUSHED?

"Nothing. Forget about it, and I'll just work harder. Please just don't." His voice was rough but despite the scowl firmly planted on his features, his eye betrayed him. Was that hope in them?

"Cato?"

"Leave me alone, my lesson's over anyway, I'm leaving."

"Cato! Sit." She commanded, and to her surprise it actually worked and Cato plunked down like a child caught stealing cookies.

"Did you... Did you meet someone?" She tried very VERY hard to keep her laugh back when his blush got darker and his ears turned very red.

"You want to impress a girl don't you." She grinned at him. He looked furiously at her.

"I don't need to sing for girls to like me! I have to brush them off like fleas!"

"Okay, okay..." Katniss raised her palms in mock surrender. She couldn't deny that it was true, Cato was handsome in a very crude way.

"If you want a more... Appropriate piece to learn to sing for her though... I mean, singing about a war probably won't do the trick with a girl." He looked at her again, his scowl gone.

"Really? You'd help me out here?"

"Of course, I'm your teacher, that's what I'm here for." He grinned.

"Her name is Clove, she's really cool."

Katniss pulled out a drawer, flipping through several music books to find something suitable. It took awhile but she finally found one he liked.

Ten minutes later, Katniss was pulling out of the parking lot, and in 30, She was back at her apartment. It was almost 7, and she ordered a pizza, tossing together some lettuce and tomatoes for a salad. She has to have some kind of vegetable right?

As Katniss opened a beer, a knock on the door beckoned her. She paid the pizza guy, and inhaled the greasy scent.

TV, beer, pizza, couch... What was missing?

TO PEETA MELLARK

Hey, want to have some pizza? I think it's my turn to feed you. :)

SEND

She was watching the Office when her phone buzzed.

PEETA MELLARK

I don't think I should. Been having relapses and I

DELIVERED

She frowned at the screen. And I what?

PEETA MELLARK

Are you okay, can I help?

SEND

She waited but there was no response. He must be home, and his incomplete message worried her. He went through similar things that she did, so it must be hard for him to cope alone. Maybe it would help to see a face with the same problems... She didn't bother with shoes as she ran down the hall, knocking on Peeta's door. There wasn't a response, but she heard something clatter to the tile inside. She tried the door, surprised that it was open.

"Peeta?"

"K-Katniss? Katniss stay there! Stay there!"

"Peeta can I help? What can I do, do you need a doctor?"

"No! Just - just keep talking to me, tell me something. But don't come into the kitchen!"

"What's going on?!" Another sound of something hitting the tile, this time it sounded like he's knocked a chair over.

"Talk to me, tell me something!" His cries sounded like he was battling something. She slowly started towards the kitchen.

"Katniss?"

"I'm here, Peeta. Um... My student tonight found a girl that he likes, he's so cute when he talks about her, he's usually really cranky... He's kinda like me when I'm not happy, but he's like that all the time. Peeta? Can you hear me?" She waited for his reply. He didn't say anything, and she didn't hear any noise from the other side of the wall separating the kitchen from the entry room.

"Peeta?"

"Keep talking." His whisper barely reached her ears.

"And, well I helped him pick out a song to learn so he can sing it to her someday, her name is Clove." She kept making her way to the kitchen, picking up on his heavy breathing now.

"Katniss don't come in here. I'm serious."

"What's wrong, Peeta?"

"I'll come out when-" He hissed and grunted, "When I'm safe for you. Stay there. Keep talking."

"My morning student, Rue, started on the lullaby my dad used to sing to me, she knows how special it is, and what it means. I know she'll appreciate it. She has four little siblings, and when they can't sleep she sings to them, I figured a lullaby would be a good choice for her." She peered her head around the wall and gasped.

"Peeta, what happened?"

He was sitting on the floor, his knuckles white gripping the stool she'd heard clatter to the ground. There was a bruise on his shoulder, she assumed it was from falling against the counter. His back was bare, and there were not a few large scars going across it. He was wearing basketball shorts, and right below his left knee, a metal object replaced his calf and foot. His face was pained, eyes screwed shut, lips pressed together. His whole body was quaking.

"Peeta?"

"Katniss no, get out of here!" His eyes flew open as he heard her voice close by. They were clouded and he looked mystified at seeing her there.

"No, it's okay, you won't hurt me."

She slowly moved towards him, and when she extended a hand to help him up, he shrunk away like a frightened animal, whimpering. She saw the knife he had dropped on the floor nearby and she carefully set it on the counter out of his reach, just in case, then squatted down next to him. She realized he was more afraid of her than afraid he would hurt her now.

"You need to leave, I could kill you." He spoke through his teeth and his voice was strained with an inward war.

"I'm trained in defense. It's okay."

Her hand was still between them and he eventually let go of the stool and took it, still looking terrified and not quite there.

"It's okay. I'm here, I won't hurt you. You're okay." His expression gradually shifted from pained to in control. His other hand released the wood and turned red from renewed blood flow. His breathing evened out. She covered his hand with her other one, stroking it soothingly.

"Peeta are you back? Are you with me?"

He breathed in deeply before replying, "Yeah." She wasn't quite convinced. He looked like he was still fighting.

"Stay with me."

His eyes finally met hers and the blue orbs cleared.

"Always."

She smiled warmly.

"You okay?" She asked gently.

"Yeah. Yeah I will be. Sorry."

"No reason to apologize, you rescued me, I am happy to help you out if I can. I did help you, right, I didn't make it worse?"

"Yeah, thanks. Having a reason to come back usually helps."

"So what... What-"

"What was that?" He sighed, using his free hand to make sure his prosthetic leg was still attached properly before letting her help him to his feet.

"PTSD, I was a competitive wrestler for several years growing up. I was fearless and I won most of my matches, and had quite an ego. Eventually was retired from the team because..." He gestured to his leg. "Bad match. Anyways, that's where I was during the bakery fire, and seeing the damage later... Didn't help. I get flashbacks of my opponent, he was vicious and merciless. It was terrifying, and the trauma of having a limb amputated made me believe that fear in the ring was an appropriate response." He smiled wryly. "I'm broken worse than you are."

Katniss wrapped her arms around him, the warmth of her arms contrasting against his cold skin, which was clammy from the effort of discerning reality from nightmare.

"It's over now. You don't have to worry about that wrestler, you're done, okay? I've got you now."

His arms slowly came up to return the hug, and she felt him rest his head on hers.

"Thanks Katniss. It really helps."

"How long have you fought yourself alone?"

He laughed mirthlessly.

"7, 8, 9 years? I've lost track." She hugged him tighter, knowing something of what solitude felt like.

"If I have a flashback at the bakery, my coworkers know to keep their distance and just talk to me. I sent one to the hospital for stitches. I'm lucky I didn't get fired or sued. Delly helps me if she's here, but she's a business girl and she's gone a lot. Plus it's hard to call when I'm down. I'm glad you texted when you did. Thanks for coming over."

"If you can, call me whenever you need someone, I'm usually around and the bakery isn't far from here."

He kissed her hair, a wordless thank you.

He stepped back, smiling at her.

"I think your pizza must be getting cold. Is the invitation still good?"

"Of course. You're back now? What usually happens when it's over?"

"I carry on with whatever I was doing before."

"You don't have medication or anything?"

"I don't want medications, I don't want to rely on drugs to stay here. I want, someday, to be whole again."

"I think you will be, I think your will is stronger than your nightmares. I think you'll be just fine." She closed his door behind herself, taking his hand to lead him down the hall.

They turned the TV back on, settling down with the pizza and beers. He sat down in the corner of the couch, she sat right beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

The pizza was gone soon, and the clock looked down at them disapprovingly.

"Thanks for your help and for dinner, Katniss."

"Thanks for your honesty, and hanging out with me."

"Ah-no problem. I enjoyed it. I should get some sleep, I'm opening the bakery tomorrow."

"Do you sleep well after an attack?"

"Not really, although I usually don't sleep well."

"My little sister used to comfort me at night, she was good at that. But now-" she cleared her throat.

He took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly and kissing her fingers.

"I hope you get some good rest for a change then."

"Hey, um... You going to be okay by yourself? You're pretty banged up." She grazed a finger over his shoulder and the violet skin there. Goosebumps rose on his bare skin and he blushed a little, clearing his throat before speaking.

"Yeah, I think so. The-the pain helps me stay here, in reality." He wiped his palms on his shorts.

"Okay, take care of yourself and text me if you need anything."

"You too, thanks again." He stood up to leave, reaching his hand down to pull her up as well. They walked quietly to the door, the only sound being the quiet metallic clicks of his leg, which she recognized from the other day.

"Peeta?"

He paused, hand on the doorknob, turning to face her.

She reached up to press her lips to the corner of his, her hand resting on the sturdy plane of his chest, which expanded as he sucked in a breath. Peeta's hand automatically rose to her hair. He smiled as she pulled away, grazing his thumb over her temple.

He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again when no words came.

Peeta ducked out of her apartment quickly, and Katniss blushed, hoping his reaction was a good thing.

She slept well again that night, her dreams only rousing her twice, and once she thought of Peeta just three doors down, she calmed herself down enough to drop off again.

There was something calming about the boy with the bread.

Tuesday morning, uneventful as far as students to teach. Gale's little sister Posy sang well, as she always did. Their mother, Hazelle smiled proudly at Katniss.

"She aims to sing like you someday."

Three other children came and went. Between two of them, Katniss crossed the street and entered the deli, eating a bowl of soup and dipping some of Peeta's bread into it.

On her way home, she remembered that tonight she was going on a date with Peeta for his friend Delly, to the Hob.

Half of her wanted to dress up nicely for Peeta, half of her wanted to dress in something comfortable that would blend into the Hob scene. She went over her closet mentally on the drive home.

Definitely comfortable, that ruled out high heels, dresses and skirts.

Something orange, Peeta likes orange. Soft orange.

She thought of a tank top she'd bought impulsively for her birthday last year which she had yet to wear. It had an actual sunset starting with deep orchid at the hem, and gradually morphed into a buttery yellow at the top. The main color, however, was orange. A sunset orange. Of course she would wear the bird necklace, her father's brown leather jacket, and a pair of dark jeans. Shoes... Ankle boots, maybe wedges to give her a little bit of height, Peeta was several inches taller. Although... Maybe she should let him be taller. Guys like that, right? Soft brown eyeliner, a little coral lipstick, maybe some blush to give her checks a little color... Should she paint her nails, or is that too much? She's already colorful especially for the Hob... No, natural nails.

She'd worked through all the kinks in her wardrobe by the time she pulled into the carport and parked. She ran up the stairs to bring her vision to life.

Katniss did one last revolution in front of the mirror before declaring herself done. Plopping down on the couch, she started working on an arrangement for her student Annie Cresta to work on. Annie wasn't quite there, much like herself, but she'd never asked why. Quiet and reserved, vibrant red hair flowing around her soft face and shoulders, the picture of a lady, sweet and gentle. Her boyfriend was certainly a lucky man. And Annie... Katniss thought of the attractive, bronze-haired man that brought Annie to every single lesson for years, and stayed, smiling at her singing from his chair in the waiting room. He had yet to miss one, and Katniss had yet to see him angry or upset at his love. Yeah, Annie was lucky too.

The clock announced 5:15 shortly, and Katniss grabbed her wristlet and keys as she heard a soft rap on the door.

"Hi Peeta." She managed, thinking he looked absolutely wonderful in a black tshirt outlining his well-earned, well-defined muscles, and pair of gray jeans.

"Katniss... Hi..." His eyes took in her top and she blushed a little, not knowing if they were going as friends helping out another friend, or as a couple. Did her outfit choice seem overboard, it was his favorite color specifically in his favorite setting... His voice broke her thoughts.

"Um, are you... Are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go." She locked the door behind herself and took the hand he offered as they descended the stairs.

"You look lovely."

She felt her face warm up again, the blush returning.

"Thanks... I don't think I'll really fit into the Hob colors all that well though..."

He chuckled.

"I'm sure they'll love you just the same."

"You always have something nice to say, don't you?" She looked up at him.

"Only to special people," he winked.

She laughed, "See?"

They didn't say anything else until they got to his car. He stopped to face her, the sunset behind them illuminating his silhouette.

"So how... How do you want me to introduce you to Delly?"

"Um, I was wondering that myself..."

"I mean it would be kind of funny to just say 'This is Katniss...'" He seemed as nervous as she felt.

"I guess you could just say I'm... Your date?"

"Okay."

"Is that fine? I mean if you wanted to you could just say my neighbor from three doors down that I fished out of the hallway when she passed out, but that might be bad because then they'd ask questions but I mean if you want to tell the I'm just your neighbor that's fine too-" he cut her babbling off,

"Katniss, will you be my girlfriend?"

She froze.

Should've seen this coming, why didn't she see it coming...

Did she want to be his girlfriend?

"You can say no, and I'll just say you're my neighbor if you want." His voice was soft but rang with a little embarrassment and nervousnes.

"Yes. I want you to be my boyfriend." She did want that, she enjoyed being with Peeta and needed his comfort when he was the only one who could give it.

His eyes lit up, and he smiled lightly,

"Good, I'd like nothing more." He kissed the inside of her wrist before letting go to walk around to the driver's side of his car. When he thought she wasn't looking, his grin covered his face and he beamed - no, glowed - as he sat behind the wheel. His face was once again tamed by the time she was beside him in the passenger's seat and he looked her way. Butterflies tickled the lining of her stomach as she thought of how adorable and boyish he seemed in that relieving moment.

"So, how did you and Delly meet?"

"I'm not sure, as far back as I remember as a kid, she was always there. I think our parents were friends or something. And she was in all my classes at school too."

"So she was kinda like your... Sister growing up?"

He laughed.

"Sort of, especially during high school. Actually she had a crush on me for a few months when we were 11, and she kissed me once... But she said it was too weird and she felt like she was kissing her brother so I guess that got rid of that..."

Katniss found herself laughing as well, thinking of how Gale had done something similar before he realized they were too similar to have something.

"I've been there." She blurted out. He laughed as well, seemingly unfazed by that. She suddenly remembered she'd never called Gale after he texted her the other day. Mental note to do that later.

"The flower of romance in youth. Often leads to strange things..."

She nodded. He pulled into a space and they walked towards the entrance of the grill. Right before entering, Peeta turned her to face him, placing a hand on each of her shoulders.

"Thanks for coming, it means a lot to Delly to have friends there to screen her date. Kick me under the table when you want to get going, okay? Well, kick this leg." He smiled as he pointed to his good foot.

"Okay, I will. I might want to drop by the kitchen on the way out to thank Sae. And introduce her to my boyfriend..." She wrapped her arm around his waist and drew him inside the noisy, dark grill.

He spotted Delly quickly and waved at her. She was alone.

"Delly, where's your date?"

"I kind of might have told him 6ish so I could catch up and chat with you and your date." 6ish, half an hour from now.

"Well this is Katniss, my girlfriend, Katniss this is Delly." She could sense the pride in his voice as he announced his claim on her.

Delly's eyes twinkled as she stood and gave Katniss a hug.

"Nice to meet you, Katniss. It's good to know Peeta has someone nearby to count on."

"Nice to meet you too, Delly, I hope tonight is a success for you."

Delly laughed.

"I hope so too, did Peeta fill you in? We met on an airplane back from Alabama, our seats were together. He was visiting his parents there, he's a lawyer. His name is Thresh."

"Alabama?" Rue is from Alabama.

"Yeah, do you know anyone from there?"

"Yeah, one of my students, I'm a voice teacher."

"Lovely, Peeta was telling me how beautifully you sing."

"Delly, you make me sound like a creep!" Peeta laughed, but Katniss picked up on his nervousness.

"Sorry! How have you been doing, Peeta?"

"I've only had one episode so far this week, so better."

"I'm glad, you've been fighting hard."

She reached across the table to pat his arm.

They continued to chat amiably until Thresh came a few minutes before 6. He was surprised to see the three of them there already.

"I didn't keep you waiting, did I?" He greeted Delly with a hug. His voice was deep and sounded like dark chocolate, and Katniss enjoyed listening to his accent.

"No, you're just on time, the waiter should come by in a minute. These is Peeta and his girlfriend Katniss, both of you, this is Thresh." He shook both their hands, smiling warmly.

"Nice to meet you both."

Dinner passed by quickly, with plenty of chatting and laughing, and Katniss decided she liked Thresh. But she grew sleepy as the evening wore on, and Peeta kept glancing at her. She didn't know if he wanted to leave or if he wanted to know if she wanted to leave. She eventually poked where she figured his right leg must be, and her foot came in contact with something. He looked back at her, and she nodded discreetly.

"Katniss, I think we should get going, we both have work tomorrow. Thanks for inviting us, Delly, it was good to see you again."

"It was good to meet you, Katniss and Peeta."

"You too, Thresh." She mumbled out sleepily, hoping it sounded a little more genuine to them than it did to her.

Delly wished them well and they finally left, making sure to pass by the kitchen to greet Greasy Sae. Sae winked at Katniss and when they were leaving, she told Peeta to take good care of that girl. He promised he would.

On the way back, Peeta held Katniss's hand over the console and held it to his lips every now and then as they talked about Thresh and Delly.

Before they parted outside her door, she stood on her toes to press her lips to his once more, and he responded by putting his hand behind her neck to keep her there. When he at last released her, both of their cheeks were rosy and they had matching smiles.

"I hope you sleep well." She slipped behind her door and waited until she heard his footsteps disappear. She flopped on her bed and sighed. She had a boyfriend now.

She stripped off the clothes that smelled like grease and salt and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt, curling up on the couch with a cup of tea as she watched the news. The clock read 9 as she drifted off, and 10 when she jolted awake. Images of people she knew replacing the faces of the soldiers and police officers she'd observed on the news. Prim taking the place of the little girl that had gone missing the week before. Her head swam with unwelcome thoughts and she pressed her hands to her temples, trying to banish them. They simply extended their stay and two tears squeezed out of her eyes as Peeta joined the front lines and was shot through the chest.

It was too much, and she ran out of her apartment and knocked frantically on Peeta's door. He answered it promptly, not saying a word, just enveloping her in his warm embrace. She was too traumatized to notice his chest bare once more, and the crutches under each of his arms and his right foot standing alone beneath him.

"Shh, shh. I'm here. It's okay." His breath breezed over the wide neckline of her top and made her squeeze him closer.

"Katniss? Katniss do you want to stay here?" She nodded.

"Okay." He kissed her head and returned one hand to his crutch, the other rubbing her shoulder before it too went back to its crutch. She walked beside him to his room, where he tucked her into his bed and kissed her forehead before turning to leave.

"Peeta?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay with me?"

He only paused for a second, crawling in beside her, leaning his crutches against the nightstand. He wrapped his arm around her again.

He said one more word, but sleep's soft arms enveloped her and dragged her down so that she missed it.

She was back on the muffin hills, Prim and her scruffy old cat were playing nearby; Rue sat in a tree, singing joyfully; Cato and a girl she imagined to be Clove laying on their backs, watching clouds float above them. It felt like something wasn't there. She turned her head, and met Peeta's big blue eyes, searching hers quietly. It felt real. Now this dream was complete. She blinked a few times, and the sun went behind some clouds darkening the space and stealing the warmth of the bright rays shining down.

"No nightmares."

A word like nightmare doesn't belong on muffin hills. That couldn't have been the word Peeta spoke.

"What?"

"You didn't have nightmares after you came over last night."

Came over? Last night? Is she not dreaming then? She reached out to touch his face, and her hand grazed his eyebrows, eyelids and nose. He laughed and kissed the finger she'd poked his lips with. They still felt very, very soft.

"You're real."

"As far as I know, yes."

"Am I awake now?"

"Yeah, I think so."

She sat up.

Peeta's room was as neat as his living room and kitchen, and it was definitely cozier than her own matching room in her apartment. His crutches were settled in the space between the bed and the nightstand, and his prosthetic leg was leaned against the chair against the wall.

"You slept well?" She asked, looking down to where his head still rested on his pillow.

"Better than I have in a long time, you?"

"I had good dreams. I forgot you could have good dreams."

"You slept like you were happy."

"Prim was alive." He immediately wrapped his arm around her, drawing her back down into his side.

"She was playing with that cat, I think its name was Buttercup. I hated that cat, but I always fed him because he made Prim happy."

Katniss made a move to rise, and Peeta loosened his embrace and sat up as well.

"Katniss?"

"Yeah?"

"You know how you thanked me for being honest the other day?"

She nodded slowly, wondering where he was going with this.

"I have to apologize, I haven't been very honest at all. Um... Well the first time I saw you wasn't when I picked you out of the hallway. I've wanted to talk to you for quite some time now."

"Really? When did you see me? I don't remember..."

"I first saw you when you moved in, two years ago. I didn't approach you back then because I thought the guy that was helping you move, the dark-haired tall one-"

"Gale," She acknowledged.

"Gale, well I thought you were together, or married or something. But he never stayed the night, at least to my knowledge, and he sometimes came and went with another girl, a blonde."

"Madge, he's not with her either, they're my two best friends." He nodded.

"Anyways, I didn't want to seem like I was making a move on you since I didn't know you were single. But I found out you were, and I almost went up to talk to you, like 6 or 7 times, but I lost my nerve and chickened out."

"Why were you so nervous to talk to me?"

She frowned, she wasn't that cranky, was she?

"I was intimidated by you because you're so strong and beautiful, I told myself that if you wanted more friends, you would have talked to your neighbors."

"I met Mags when I helped her get her groceries up here, the elevator was out one day. But you're right, I don't talk to any of the others. The President could live across from me and I wouldn't know."

"Yeah, I guess it was some weird stroke of luck that I was home when you were out in the hallway."

"Yeah, if it wasn't for that, I still wouldn't know you were three doors away..."

"But now you do."

"Yeah, now I do, and I'm glad I do." She twisted to face him and dropped a kiss on his nose. He made a low playful growling noise and pressed his lips to hers, pushing her back down onto the bed again, resting one arm on either side of her shoulders. She giggled.

"So what are you going to do with me now that you have me?" His voice was still playful, but rather husky.

She didn't reply, but drew his mouth back down and kissed him again.

The clock nudged them to get out of bed at 9, and Peeta assured her he wasn't busy that day, didn't have to work for a few hours. But she remembered Finch had a lesson at 10, and she needed to drop by the bank before that.

"Will you at least stay for muffins?" Peeta asked as he fastened his artificial leg below his knee.

"I wouldn't consider leaving without one."

He grinned up at her, taking her extended hand.

Peeta hadn't had an episode in several days, and although Katniss's dreams often went dark, she would find refuge in Peeta's welcoming arms each night. Her own flashbacks weren't frequent, and they rapidly grew accustomed to a routine.

Breakfast of muffins. Part for work. Eat lunch texting each other. Back to work. Come home for dinner together. Climb into Peeta's bed to repeat it the next day.

Nothing else happened in Peeta's bed, although when Madge found out she teased Katniss relentlessly and Delly wasn't much better with Peeta. Gale was still oblivious to the arrangement, which Katniss decided was a good thing, since his protective nature didn't kick in and he never threatened Peeta.

One morning, Katniss woke up, hearing Peeta in the next room talking, she guessed, on the phone.

"She's still asleep. No we haven't! We literally just sleep! Dell-Delly stop it, it's up to her. Yeah we've been together for like three weeks and already..." His voice dropped an octave and grew quieter. "Already I'm in love with her. I'm a goner, and I couldn't be happier. Thanks. You're still with Thresh? Yeah I like him, he's a good guy. Okay. Okay, yeah. Thanks, Delly. Talk to you later."

Katniss smiled as she heard him walking back towards the bedroom, rolling over and pretending to be asleep as he checked on her, and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

A couple weeks later, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Peeta and Katniss were in his kitchen, discussing if they should have traditional turkey dinner at her apartment or his. Peeta's voice grew tense as he gripped his can of soda, crushing it slowly. Katniss watched cautiously as he turned his head and glowered at her.

"Peeta."

She put down the knife she was spreading cream cheese on her bun with. He'd explained to her what to do in these times: get rid of anything resembling a weapon, extinguish any fire, be alert for any attack against her.

"Peeta, come back to me. Peeta, you're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you."

He didn't respond. It was like he didn't hear her. She gently took his crushed soda can out of his tight fist.

"Peeta?" He launched at her, and Katniss reacted fast, deflecting his fist and stepping sideways to avoid his attack. He growled.

"Peeta." Her voice was soft, barely a whisper.

She showed him her palms.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise I won't hurt you." Unfortunately, living in the woods, trained to deflect bear attacks at any cost including injuring the bear didn't prepare her to deal with someone she cared about attacking her, and she refused to hurt him. His hands wrapped around her wrists, and held them together.

"You're safe now, it's okay."

He didn't listen and twisted one arm behind her back, making her cry out. He didn't relent and held her there for a second before kicking her knees out and causing her to fall on the floor beneath him, hitting her head against the tile.

"Peeta!" Her strangled shout finally reached his ears.

"K-Katniss? Katniss? I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..." Assured he was back in his own mind, Katniss drifted off, head throbbing, vaguely feeling him roll her over and pick her up gently.


	2. Chapter 2

Her eyelids fluttered open and she felt a cool towel pressed to her forehead.

"There she is, she'll be alright."

"P-Peeta?" Her voice sounded hoarse.

"She's going to be alright? Listen to her voice!" Peeta's voice sounded far away, and looking around her, she couldn't find his face. The older man felt her throat, asking her to say her name several times.

"There's no damage, that will wear off in a couple hours. Here, Miss Everdeen, please take this pill." She sat up a little, catching sight of Peeta in the far corner, pressed against the walls, wringing his hands. In the dim light, she could faintly make out his worried expression. The man in front of her handed her a small white pill and a glass of water. She took it unquestioningly.

"Is Peeta okay?" The man turned to look at Peeta in the corner, and looked back at her, smiling gently.

"He'll be fine. You have to get better quickly so he knows you're fine too. Peeta, would you grab a glass of milk or orange juice or something from the kitchen?" Peeta slipped out silently aside from the clicking of his leg.

"What's wrong with him, why was he so far from me? And who are you?"

"I'm your neighbor, my name is Dr. Aurelius. Peeta is responsible for a pretty hard bump on your head, and he knows it was him. He feels like you'll never be safe around him and I think that's breaking his heart. He was in tears when he came pounding on my door, and when I got here, you were tucked in bed with this cloth on your forehead."

"He thinks we can't be together because of his attacks?"

The doctor nodded.

"What can I do?"

"Help him when he starts having an episode, but stay farther away so you're completely safe. When he's back, show him you trust him, and he'll learn to trust himself." Peeta stepped back in, holding a glass out to Dr. Aurelius. He stayed as far away as he could, and the doctor had to reach out to take the glass from him.

"Thank you Peeta." He held the glass to her mouth, his hand behind her shoulders, propping her up to drink. When the glass was empty, the doctor rose.

"Well, rest a little more today, Miss Everdeen, and you should be feeling better by Monday. Take a couple of Aspirin if your head bothers you, and call me if you feel dizzy or nauseous for an extended period of time." He patted her shoulder, "I'm right across the hall from you." He smiled and turned to shake Peeta's hand.

"You take good care of her, Peeta. I know you can." Peeta shook his hand, face expressionless. The doctor let himself out and they heard the click of the door as he left.

"Peeta, are you okay?" Katniss reached her hand out to him, and he bit his lip, not moving closer. He was back in the corner.

"Peeta? It's not your fault, I don't blame you."  
He finally burst out.

"You should! I hurt you, I bruised your wrists and I knocked you out! You were unconscious for an hour! A whole hour!"

She wasn't aware he'd bruised her wrists. She examined them, seeing faint bluish purple marks in the shape of fingers.

"I'll be okay, Peeta, I've been through much worse, and so have you." She thought of the scars going across the skin of his torso, he had yet to tell her where those came from.

"But I hurt you! I could've killed you, and you didn't even try to fight back!" That's true, she don't fight back. She hadn't wanted to hurt him, as this would make him fear her and see her as a threat.

"That's right. I didn't fight back because I knew I would be okay. It would have scared you if I'd fought back. You would have hurt me if you thought I was a threat to you."

"I did hurt you! And you're scaring me now, do you know what it was like to snap out of it to find I'd hurt you? Katniss-"

"Shh, shh. Come here, Peeta." He covered his face with his hands, sliding down the wall and huddling into a ball in the corner. She slipped out of bed, softly walking towards him, slowly so she wouldn't frighten him.

"I'm okay, see? I'm fine." She ignored the pounding behind her eyes as her head adjusted to being upright. Peeta peeked up at her, shrinking away even more as she got nearer. Like a threatened animal, and she was the hunter. She slowly sat down in front of him, so she was at eye level.

"I'm fine, Peeta." He wrapped his arms around his knees, his back pressed up against the wall and his face mottled from crying. He looked like a little boy.

"I realize now that we can't be together anymore. I saw you as my mother. I can't stop myself when I think of her. And I can't forgive myself for seeing you like that." He whispered.

"Yes you can, Peeta. Don't say that. You did stop." He shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You have to leave before I kill you!"

"I'm not leaving you. I'm not going to do that."

"Then I will." He jumped up and darted out of the room. She decided to watch him and see where he was going rather than follow, since that would make him run farther, faster. While she realized she could probably outlast him and definitely outrun him, she didn't want him to feel like he was her prey.

It was night, she realized, as she watched him curl up on the couch, sobbing into the pillow she'd given him two weeks prior as a just cuz present. When he ran out of tears, he hugged the pillow to his chest, rocking himself to sleep. When she was sure he was out, she crept out and covered him with a soft brown blanket, stroking his cheek and wiping under his eyes with her thumb. She kissed his lips before heading back into the bedroom she used to share with him.

The clock assured her it was still early on Sunday morning when she started awake. Peeta had left her. He had gone back into a wrestling ring, his opponent a gigantic ape of a man, looking furiously down to his much smaller match partner. During the fight, Peeta had lost his footing on his bad leg, and fallen. Of course the ape-man had taken advantage of the opportunity. She heard his strangled cry as she pushed her way out of that world. She opened her eyes, wishing for the warm, comforting arms of her boy, but seeing the bed empty beside her. This wasn't unusual, since Peeta often rose early to make their breakfast. But she had an uneasy feeling as she listened for movement in the kitchen and heard nothing. She rose and clung to the bedpost as her head swam. The feeling passed and she made her way out of the dark room. Before she made it to the kitchen, she came upon Peeta, still in a tight ball on the couch, his legs tucked up into his chest. He'd fallen asleep without removing his prosthetic and she could tell his position wasn't a comfortable one. The previous day's events came rushing back to her as she fell onto the ottoman in front of him.

She reached out to touch his shoulder. He flinched slightly but didn't wake up.

"Peeta?" His eyes fluttered open and he looked around, sitting up and thinking of why he was on the couch.

"Did we fight yesterday? Why am I here?"

"No, we didn't fight Peeta. But I think you broke up with me." He then recalled the circumstances and his eyes grew wide.

"Don't get so close, Katniss! Don't touch me, I'll hurt you again!"

"No you won't, Peeta. You're more careful now." To show him she trusted him, as the doctor instructed, she slowly stood and sat where his head had been. She reached up cautiously to touch his face. He looked terrified and moved farther and farther away from her hand until his back met the armrest on the opposite end of the couch.

"Peeta, come back to me. Kiss me good morning." Her hand came in contact with his cheek and his hand rose to push it away. She didn't let him, brushing the tears away once more. She scooted closer to him, and he stopped moving altogether. She didn't feel his breath on her arm either.

"Breathe. I'm not going to hurt you."

He still didn't react, and she drew her hand back.

"Talk to me, tell me you're still with me. Your favorite color is orange, real or not real?"

He paused, considering her question. She barely heard his reply.

"Real."

"You love to bake, especially cheese buns since those are my favorite. Real or not real?"

"Real."

"You painted the pictures on the walls, real or not real."

His eyes flitted around the room looking at the paintings.

"Real."

"You're still my boyfriend. Real or not real." He didn't respond for a long time, Katniss watched the battle in his head between what he wanted and what he thought he couldn't have.

"Real."

"Your best friend is Delly Cartright and you love her, real or not real?"

"Real."

"You love me, real or not real?"

His eyes welled up with tears as he said one word.

"Real." Katniss reacted to this as well. A smile crept onto her features, and she really wanted to launch at his face to kiss him senseless. But she couldn't do that.

"You won't hurt me. Real or not real."

He didn't respond, his eyes growing glassy and his lips twitching downward.

"Answer me, Peeta, real or not real?"

He slowly dragged his eyes from the spot he'd been staring at on the floor to her eyes.

"Real. I won't hurt you ever again. I promise." A wave of relief hit her, and she smiled warmly at him. He gave her an almost smile back. Gently, she lifted her hand once more to cup under his chin.

"I know that you'll take perfect care of me, just like you always have." He smiled then, nodding his head, pledging to her and to himself.

"Can I kiss you now?" He nodded, finally coming toward her. Their lips met softly and she put her hand in his hair, softly running her fingers through his waves. When they finally broke apart, Peeta put both his hands on her cheeks, leaning in once more to dust his lips over the bruise on her forehead. His hands went to hers, and he lifted each of her arms to kiss the bruises on her wrists, touching his lips carefully to each streak of purple, where each one of his fingers crushed. His eyes met hers again, apologizing over and over for hurting her, vowing to never let it happen again.

"Are you back, Peeta? Are you with me?"

"Yes. I'm here."

"Stay with me." She pleaded.

"Always."

She leaned close to him and gently wrapped her arms around his chest, feeling him do the same. She thought of how scared he'd been the night before to even look at her and she rejoiced at their contact now. She frowned as she remembered his words.

"What did you mean, last night, you said you saw me as your mother. Why does that scare you?" She sat back, keeping her arms on his. Terror flashed briefly in his eyes before he replied.

"She had anger problems, my dad settled for her and she knew that. She usually... Well she usually took it out on me." He frowned as Katniss looked at him in shock.

"Why? Why you?" He shrugged.

"She never had a reason, she just did." Katniss got up and went around behind him, peeling his tshirt above his head and tossing it onto the ottoman. She gasped, really looking at the scars there, and Peeta shivered slightly as she ran her finger over a long one.

"Peeta..." She hugged him closely, her tears running down his shoulder blades. He patted her arms that encircled his.

"That's why I fought you, Katniss. That's how far gone I was, I saw you as her and it horrified me."

That's how far gone he was.

"I'm so sorry Peeta. You of all people deserved better. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Between each sorry, she pressed her lips to another scar. She counted 12.

Three nights passed before Peeta would occupy the same bed as Katniss, and he made it clear to her that if he woke her up for any reason, to leave the bed immediately, just in case. It took several hours for him to fall asleep, and Katniss sang to him softly the lullaby her father sang to her. He finally drifted off, a smile lifting his features and she kissed him gently before tucking herself into his side.

Thanksgiving dinner was held at Peeta's apartment, since he was the cook and his kitchen was better stocked than hers, and they invited their neighbor Beetee, who was good friends with Peeta, Delly and Thresh, Johanna, Finnick and Annie, Gale, Madge, and Rue promised to come for desert. Dr. Aurelius was out of town with his own family, but he thanked them for thinking of him.

Dinner went smoothly, Johanna flirted openly with Gale, and Madge laughed at his curt replies. Katniss decided Jo was a very good fit for Gale, she was a very strong persona but it took a lot to make her angry or upset, and she could calm him down when he needed it. Besides, she obviously was attracted to him. Mental note to get them together.

Peeta of course was by her side the entire time, holding her hand and kissing the faint yellowish marks on her wrists when he thought nobody was looking. She had covered up the bruise on her forehead with some makeup to dissuade any questions, especially since Peeta was so anxious to please her friends and show them he would take care of her.

Beetee started up a conversation with Peeta, so Madge and Annie drew Katniss away.

"So..." Madge's eye twinkled.

"So what?" Katniss blushed, knowing the nature of Madge's inquiry. Annie giggled.

"So how much do you like him? Is he good to you? Does he make you feel good in the right places eh...?" Madge poked her friend in the stomach and laughed.

Annie touched her arm.

"Is it real? Is he it?" Katniss liked Annie's questions better than Madge's, but she thought over her answers.

"I like him a lot, he spoils me shamelessly and we haven't gone there... Yet. I hope it's real, I think he might be." She flushed as she finally said all this out loud. The girls squealed in excitement. Katniss had never really been emotional, and she'd been lacking in the gentlemen department for many years.

Johanna came strolling up to them.

"Hey giggle boxes, stop being 13 for a second and set me up with that hot friend of yours." Although her voice was brusque, she smirked at them, knowing exactly what they'd been discussing.

"Gale? He hates you." Madge elbowed Jo playfully.

"Well make him stop hating me then," Jo rolled her eyes as this was obviously the simplest thing in the world.

Annie smiled knowingly, "I think that's your job, sweetie." Gale was on his way to the kitchen to refill his glass and Annie shoved Jo towards him with a grin. Jo scowled back but disappeared behind the wall as she followed Gale.

"She'll get him. It may take awhile, but she will. She'll always get everything she wants." Madge nodded, and Katniss agreed with her. Just then, Finnick came up behind Annie and trapped her around the waist, tugging her backward into him.

"There you are, love." He smooched her head loudly and she giggled. "Peeta's missing you, Katniss." He winked before leading Annie back to the couch and settling with her in his lap and chatting amiably with Delly. Thresh seemed to be enjoying Beetee's company and Peeta wasn't in the room. She frowned and went into the kitchen. He was whipping some cream for the pie with his back to her, his phone alight on the counter beside him. Gale and Jo weren't in sight. She snuck up behind him and kissed the back of his neck, making him jump and drop the whisk into the frothy white mess. She laughed and fished it out.

"Don't scare me like that, Katniss!" He spun and gripped her hips, his eyes telling her he very much liked being scared like that. She threaded her arms over his shoulders.

"Did Rue say she was coming?" He nodded, he'd told Rue to text him when she was on her way so that he could start the cream.

"I can't wait to taste your pie, it smelled so good baking..." She leaned up to kiss his lips. He smiled down on her, moving his lips along her jawline.

"You looked like you were enjoying your little tete-e-tete with your friends, what were you all so giggly about?"

"Um we were teasing Jo about having the hots for Gale..." She skirted.

"Oh does she? I hadn't noticed..." He chuckled.

"And they were asking me about you..."

"And?" He turned, casually continuing to beat the cream, but his voice betrayed how much he wanted to know the answer.

"They asked me if you're good to me, I assured them you are, they asked if we'd..." She moved her hands awkwardly in circles, "I told them not yet, and they asked me if it was real, if you were IT..."

He held his breath, his hands freezing in their positions, back still toward her.

"And you said?"

"I told them real." Peeta spun around and crushed her to him, kissing her fiercely, and she knew this was exactly what he needed to hear.

"I love you, Katniss. I love you." His lips found their way down her jaw and neck, nipping the skin under her ears.

"Tonight, okay? Tonight." His voice was husky and she suddenly couldn't wait until everyone left.

She nodded and they broke apart, hearing the door buzzer wail and Jo answer it.

"Katniss, there's a pixie here to see you!" She heard Rue's fluttery giggle and led Peeta out to greet her. Her father waved as he dropped her off.

"Hi Rue, how was your dinner?"

"It was delicious, my mom outdid herself, I'm guessing Peeta did too." She stepped inside and hugged Katniss and then Peeta affectionately.

"I hope you saved a little room for some pumpkin pie, lil girl." Peeta and Rue had really hit it off when they met at the studio several days ago. It made Katniss realize how good he was with kids.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it!" She giggled and took one of each of their hands, leading them back into the party.

"Thresh! I didn't know you'd be here!" She ran up and the big man caught her up in his arms, kissing her hair fondly.

"I'm just as surprised, honey, are you Katniss's favorite student that she goes on and on about?" He winked over her head at their hostess.

"Rue and I were neighbors for a few years in Alabama before she came up here. I didn't realize I'd be following only a little while later." He set her down and introduced her to Delly, and as she hugged the plump blonde, she gave Thresh a quick nod of approval at his woman. This made everyone laugh, and she quickly met and befriended everyone, even Gale, who was still in a slightly sour mood from fending off Johanna all evening.

When everyone settled down for pie, Rue was squeezed between Thresh and Jo on the couch, and Peeta pulled Katniss down into his lap as they enjoyed his creation.

After they'd eaten, Peeta started clearing their plates away, and Rue hopped up to help him. Katniss thought it was odd that they'd been in the kitchen for so long, but figured they were probably just chatting. Awhile later, when they still hadn't returned, she rose and excused herself. She froze when she saw them next to the sink. Peeta was trembling.

"Rue?" She whispered, the dark girl shook her head minutely, and Katniss stayed where she was.

"You see Peeta? It's okay, nobody's going to hurt you, you're gonna be okay. Can you hear me?" She didn't know how Rue had learned what to do. She didn't think it was safe for the tiny nymph to be rubbing Peeta's tight shoulders or holding his hand. But she knew movement would push Peeta back. She caught sight of the blackened tea bag on the stove, and realized that was the trigger to this attack.

"Shh, Peeta, I won't let anyone hurt you, you're safe with me now." It seemed a little ironic that the little girl was comforting the man, but it did seem to help, and when she started singing softly, Peeta's tense muscles relaxed, and she rested her head against his shoulder. Her hand continued rubbing the back of his, and in a small voice Katniss heard him say, "be careful, I'm not back yet. Get Katniss." Without turning or moving away from him, Rue told him, "she's here, it's okay, you're safe with me."

Katniss moved closer slowly, and spoke cautiously, "I'm here, Peeta. Come back to me. The fire's gone, you're safe." Rue let Katniss take her place, and whispered in her ear,

"I dropped a tea bag on the stove and it caught fire. What's wrong with him?"

"PTSD, I'll tell you later. Thank you." Peeta turned back to Katniss, his eyes clear again and his voice normal as he smiled wryly at Rue.

"Thanks, Rue." Rue held his hand and smiled back at him.

"Anytime. I hope you feel better." She disappeared around the corner.

"Did I scare her?"

"No, she's letting us recover. She's okay."

Peeta nodded.

"The fire was back." He held up his hand when he had imagined the burns.

"I didn't touch it? It didn't burn me?"

"No, you're safe." She hugged him close.

It was only an hour or two later when the last of the guests, Rue and Gale, were on their way out. Rue's father thanked the couple for giving her a wonderful time, and Rue promised to show Katniss her efforts on the lullaby next Monday, kissing Peeta's cheek and chattering about Johanna on the way out. Gale shook Peeta's hand, praising his food and hugged Katniss, grumbling about Jo, when Katniss stopped him from leaving.

"Give her a shot, Gale, I think you guys would be good together."

"Johanna Mason. And me. Together. On purpose."

Peeta turned away, cleaning up some plates and napkins to hide his laugh.

"Yeah, I mean she's going to get you eventually, I promise you. Just spare yourself a lot of energy, plus she'll rub it in your face forever about how long she knew and how you fought her if you don't at least have dinner with her sometime."

"She sounds like a determined woman."

"Give me your phone." Gale meekly handed it over. And Katniss entered Jo's number.

"Okay, but if she doesn't work out I'm blaming you."

"Okay, bye Gale, enjoy yourself, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Mellark," Peeta turned back. "You take good care of this girl, you hear me?" Peeta nodded and Gale left, satisfied.

It only took the sound of the click of the door before Katniss realized they were alone. She spun around to see Peeta disappearing into the kitchen, hands full of plates and cups. She grabbed a few and followed him.

"Hello, love of mine, happy thanksgiving."

She kissed him soundly. He dropped the towel in his hand and brought her closer.

"What are you thankful for this year?"

"I can think of a few things," She smirked.

"I can't, I can only think of one right now because she's standing right in front of me and nothing else matters."

"Look at this text from Jo." She held her phone up to Peeta as he brushed is teeth.

JOHANNA MASON

Thanks.

DELIVERED

ATTACHED

She opened the attachment and showed a screenshot of her conversation with Gale, ending with her affirmative answer to him asking her out.

"Finally," Peeta chuckled, spitting his toothpaste into the sink.

"Would you look at that, Ol Jo Mason has a date to go to the bar, instead of coming home from it." The both cracked up, knowing how absurdly true that statement was.

"I think they'll get married."

"I'd pay to see that wedding."

"You won't need to, you set it up."

"You can be my plus one."

"Thanks, 'preciate it..."

She smacked a kiss onto his minty lips, and he growled hungrily for more.

"You in a hurry to go anywhere today?"

"No, you?"

"Nope." They crawled back into bed, lips interlocked.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a little shorter, but plenty of stuffs in it! Drop me a review! 3**

"Hey losers, guess what."

Jo paraded into Katniss's apartment without knocking, coming upon Katniss, Annie, Delly and Madge.

"This ol gal is done with her single days."

She flopped onto the couch, unceremoniously lifting her combat boot clad feet onto Annie's lap and taking the beer out of Madge's hands.

Delly snickered.

"Who's crazy enough to deal with this?"

As if on cue, Gale entered and sat next to Katniss on the floor against the wall beside the couch.

Jo dropped the beer into his hands.

"Hi, what's going on?"

Gale looked around, facing four pairs of intensely curious eyes.

"What?" He fidgeted.

"Jo caught you? I never thought I'd see the day that you let a girl catch you!" Madge couldn't believe her eyes.

"Catch me? No, I trapped her, she couldn't escape. Not that she'd want to..." He smirked up at Jo, who laughed and snagged the beer back, taking a long drink before passing it back to Madge.

"Uh huh, yeah that's totally what happened..." Jo snickered.

"So what exactly did happen?"

"Things, y'know? We texted for like a year before he had the balls to ask me out, and then we went from there."

"Okay um... It wasn't a year, I haven't known you for a year. It was two days..."

"Ahk, details... anyways, we've been together for what, two months now?"

"Soooooo, you're official?"

"Ehhhh yeah I'd say so, you say so?" Jo reached down to ruffle Gale's hair, and he caught her hand to kiss it, shocking everyone.

"GALE!"

"What, I'm not allowed to kiss my fiancé's hand?"

There was complete silence for a full minute, Gale and Jo both grinning like hyenas.

"Fiancé like engaged like he proposed and you said yeah?" Delly finally whispered.

"That's what it means usually, right?"

"Two months?"

"Two."

"What exactly have you been up to for two months?" Madge raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I knew it! I called it! I'm the maid of honor!" Katniss shouted, slugging her best friend in the shoulder laughing. Jo scowled at her.

"Ay, wait a second, hold your potatoes, girlfriend. When Jo gets married, Jo decides who is and isn't going to be the maid of honor, you got that? Okay. Katniss, you're gonna be my maid of honor."

Seven months later

"I do."

"Gale, you may kiss your bride." Reverend Heavensbee grinned as he closed the book he read from and stepped back. Gale grinned from ear to ear before sweeping Jo into his arms, dipping her dramatically and kissed her. Everyone cheered, and they linked their hands and almost ran back up the short aisle.

"They look so happy, I knew they would be good together." Madge giggled at Katniss's side. The wedding was small and low key, no bridal party. Jo claimed this was because she didn't need a bunch of girls in fancy dresses squealing in her dressing room. Katniss knew it was because she couldn't choose between her friends who would be the maid of honor.

After the ceremony, they danced and ate cake, cheering wildly when Peeta caught the garter, and Madge caught the bouquet.

Delly chattered on and on about how Peeta had been trying to work up the nerve to talk to her, even knocking on her door once when she wasn't home.

"His hands were so sweaty, it was ridiculous. He always got so flustered and irritated with himself because he's never had problems talking to new people. It was so cute, I've never seen him like that."

Katniss smiled.

"He's always so cute."

"Yes he is." She grinned fondly. "Once he was telling me about how beautifully his neighbor sings, or one time you passed us on the way up the stairs and he dropped his coffee. I laughed so hard and he got so mad, he didn't talk to me for a week!"

"I didn't even notice either of you, I feel so bad that I'm so oblivious..."

"Oh honey, all's well that ends well, right? But he had the hots for you for so long..."

At about 11 that evening, Katniss was practically asleep leaning against Peeta while he talked to Thresh in the garden.

"Katniss? Honey, you ready to get going?"

She nodded, and he scooped her up to carry her to the car.

"Have to say g'night to Jo, won't see Gale for awhile too." Peeta understood her tired mumbling, and brought her over to the couple.

"Katniss and I are going to take off now, congratulations you two." He set her down so she could hug them both.

"Thanks for coming, Catnip, this is all your fault, thanks." Gale chuckled as he swept her into a hug.

"Yeah, I blame you too, Kat..." Jo giggled from behind him, playfully shoving her husband.

"I'm so happy for you guys, I knew it would work out just fine." Katniss could feel her eyelids drooping, and bade them both farewell and warned Jo to not get pregnant on the honeymoon.

"Take care of her, Mellark." The two men shook hands and Jo whispered something in Peeta's ear that made him blush furiously and stammer out a response, running his hand through his hair. Katniss giggled and tucked herself under his arm, leading him to his car.

"What did Jo say to you?"

"I-I'd rather not repeat it..."

"Oh come on, please?"

"No, gentlemen don't use words like that." His blush grew deeper and Katniss laughed and kissed him.

"She's really terrible. But you can't help but love her."

Peeta nodded his agreement.

When they got to their building, Peeta carried her to her flat, setting her down to fish out her keys.

He followed her inside, chuckled as she flopped on the bed, and kneeled down to unbuckle her shoes for her.

"You don't have to do that, Peeta."

"You don't need me to, I know. But I like taking care of you."

"What did I do to deserve you? Because I think I would remember doing something that good."

"Katniss..." He set her shoes down in front of her closet and went into the bathroom to wash his hands. She followed him.

"I'm jealous, Peeta."

"Jealous of what?"

"Of Jo."

"Wh-I thought you didn't think of Gale like that." He looked so defeated.

"No, I don't. I'm jealous because she knows she'll wake up and he'll be there every morning. They live together in the house they picked out and made their own. I guess I'm jealous of both of them. I want what they have."

"You... You want to move in together?"

"Yeah, but-" she trailed off.

"What is it, Katniss? Talk to me?"

"I want to get married." He turned to look at her to make sure he heard her right.

"Are you proposing? You want to marry me?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"I just want it to be on the table. I know we really haven't been together that long..."

"Longer than Gale and Jo.."

"Yeah. But, I don't know. I think tonight was a big push to see what I really want."

"Okay. I think you know that's something that I want too."

"I love you, Peeta." He grinned.

"I love you too."

 **Review responses:**

 **(Guest): Thank you! This is the most likely IRL scenario I could come up with :P I'm glad you feel the characters are the same too!**

 **23sheshe: Thank you for reading! Enjoy:D**


	4. Chapter 4

"Argh!" Johanna screamed, storming through Katniss's apartment front door and pacing the room two or three times angrily. Peeta watched, amused, from his place in the armchair. Katniss stuck her head in from the kitchen.

"Jo?" She called timidly. She quickly returned to her work when Jo shot her a scowl. A few seconds later, she stomped over to the door and opened it to Gale, who still had his hand raised, ready to knock. Johanna grabbed his face, kissed him soundly before yelling again and flopping face-down onto the couch. Katniss wiped off her hands, sending Gale a questioning look as she sat down on the arm of the couch, gently patting Jo's shoulder.

"Um..." Peeta cleared his throat. "What?" He inquired.

"I came home and she slapped my face before ranting about peanut butter and then she came here. I have absolutely no idea what." Gale explained, moving his wife's feet to sit near her. He caught her ankle before her foot made contact with his shoulder, softly laying it back down in his lap.

"Jo?" Katniss asked again. She had an idea, but she wanted Jo to confirm before she said anything.

"What!" She snarled, sitting up halfway with a murderous expression. Katniss leaned backwards, out of range in case Jo decided to hit her as well.

"What's wrong?"

"You tell me!" She said, shoving a white stick under Katniss's nose. Katniss gasped.

"I thought so!" She jumped up, a wide grin across her face. Jo continued to glare.

"Is that-" Gale interrupted, holding his hand out to examine the evidence. "You're-we're-Jo-" He stuttered, a huge grin on his face. He scooped Jo off the couch and spun her in a circle while she spewed curses at him.

"Fuck you!"

"Actually, you did." He winked, still grinning broadly.

"Congratulations," Peeta smiled, getting up from his chair and limping over to hug them both. Katniss went over to him to support him as he waited for Gale to put Jo down. A bad episode a couple weeks prior had left him laying at the bottom of the apartment's stairs before Dr. Aurelius found him and called Katniss home from work.

"I'm so happy for you guys, you'll be such fun parents." She smiled, hugging a still cranky Jo. "And," she poked Gale in the shoulder, "I would stock up on peanut butter if I were you."  
~~~~~

"Gale and Jo, huh." Peeta smiled as he gently brushed Katniss's long hair.

"Mhm, They'll be a little crazy at first, and I bet we'll end up with the child every now and then. But they'll figure it out." She replied.

"I don't mind." Peeta said quietly.

"I know," She turned to take the brush from his hands and curl up next to him on their bed. "You'll be great." She was no longer sure if they were talking about watching someone else's child.

"You'll be such a good mother." He kissed her cheeks and forehead before tucking her head into the crook of his neck.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm thinking I'm going to wrap up this story in maybe 3 or 4 more chapters, but for now, enjoy and review! I promise, reviews make me update sooner!**

"Gunner, don't touch those, you'll hurt yourself-" Katniss scolded, hurriedly snatching the toddler up before he could grab at the h'ordeuvres sitting on the coffee table. Jo rolled her eyes.

"You can give him food, he won't stab anybody's eyes." She assured Katniss.

"He can have these? Alright..." She replied dubiously, taking the toothpick out of an unassuming piece of cheese and handing it to Gunner in her arms. He ate it easily and reached for more.

As they'd predicted, Gunner spent plenty of time at "Aunt Kat and Uncle Peeta's" place, and had even taken his first steps there. Especially now, while Jo and Gale were looking to move out of their tiny apartment and into a house soon.

"Sometimes, I swear, that kid looks at Peeta like he's the fucking moon, I mean sure, the guy makes bombass food but still." Jo remarks from the couch.

"What if Peeta is the fucking moon." Katniss jokes, setting Gunner down to run out to the patio with his dad and uncle.

"Well no shit, to you he is." Jo retorts. Katniss grins and nods.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"What is this about me being "the fucking moon?" Peeta questions when they're alone again. Katniss colors and starts laughing.

"That's Jo's term for what Gunner thinks you are." Peeta smiled, his walk still slightly uneven as he came to sit next to Katniss on the couch.

"That kid is like a garbage disposal, he eats anything and everything. Gale had to go and take rocks out of his mouth when he came outside. It's a wonder he doesn't talk more, isn't he almost 2?"

"Yeah, he does talk but mostly chooses not to." Katniss stretches her arms above her head and winces slightly. "I shouldn't stay still for so long." She grumbles.

"Katniss-" Peeta starts, sitting up straighter with his eyes trained on his tablet.

"What?"

"Look at this, look at this house, it's-" Katniss leaned over as he scrolled through pictures and read the description out loud. "This cabin is a spacious, two bedroom post and beam where the scent of cedar is present from the moment you set foot inside. The master bathroom contains a spacious tub for relaxing baths and a more practical shower. Upstairs, the loft provides a cozy atmosphere- Katniss this is perfect, we could move out to the woods again, we could get out of these apartments, I know you don't like them-" Peeta rambles on about the benefits of moving while Katniss continues reading about their potential new home.

"Let's go out and look at it, let's go see it tomorrow." She suggested, looking at the address. Peeta agreed immediately.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It reminds me of where I grew up." Katniss said quietly. She clung to Peeta's arm tightly, fighting off the bad memories and trying to focus on the good ones.

"You would be okay living here?" He asks cautiously.

"Yeah, might take a month or two to get used to it, but I would really like it." The door opened and an elderly woman came out.

"Hello, hello!" She chirped amicably. "You must be the Mellarks, come to see the cabin!" She exclaimed. Peeta blushed a little.

"Uh, actually, I'm Peeta Mellark, this is my girlfriend, Katniss Everdeen." He introduced them both. Katniss greeted the warm woman quietly.

"You live here?"

"Used to. I just moved into a cute little apartment in the city. I'm Twill, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. It looks beautiful from the outside."

"Oh yes, I hired my niece to keep the grounds up when I got too old to do it myself. The inside is a little older, but I've updated a few things here and there, come in and I'll show you around."

Peeta led Katniss in through the doors. She gasped out a sharp breath when she looked around.

"It's so cozy... I grew up in a cabin like this." She told the woman. Twill grinned.

"Then I expect you feel right at home then." Katniss nodded.

"Well, this of course is the living space, the windows were replaced two years ago, so they're good for awhile yet. The floor is original, and the walls have only been touched up a little. Then this way, we have the kitchen-" Peeta smiled widely at the warm, open area.

"This is better than our apartment kitchens."

"Yeah, I don't think I'd be able to get you to leave here once you get started." Katniss joked. Twill laughed heartily and showed them a few of the features. The tour went on through the rest of the cabin, the master bedroom and guest room, the semi-finished attic, the garage and the yard.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"And that's about it. Do you have any questions about the place?"

"No, I don't think so, it's really lovely." Katniss answered.

"I'll email you about our decision in a few days, thank you so much for your help, Twill." Peeta smiled warmly and shook Twill's hand, and Katniss hugged the lady. She bid them farewell and the two of them headed back to Peeta's car.

Katniss was quiet as the drove away, and Peeta held her hand on the consul.

"What do you think?" He asked once they got on the road.

"I love the place, I think I'd regret not at least trying to get it."

"I would too, my dad used to take my brothers and me fishing when we were younger, and we stayed in a cabin like that every summer."

"Do you want to put in an offer? I have a lot in my savings account, and I know you still have your inheritance..."

"Plus, I think I could get a lower price if it's too high for what we're getting, I mean it still needs some work in the bathrooms."

"Which I think we could do a lot of on our own."

"Yeah. Let's start budgeting for it, we can move in right after the Hawthornes get back from their vacation so they can help us. I think they owe us a little labor after all the babysitting..."


	6. EPILOGUE

"You're crazy," Johanna Mason grinned at Katniss as she looked at her hand.

"I'd like to think so." Katniss smiled back, examining the ring once more. "Isn't it pretty?" The small diamond glittered in the light from the window.

Behind them, Gale thumped Peeta loudly on the back, congratulating him. Peeta had eyes only for his fiancee.

"Have you set a date yet?" Jo asked.

"Not a concrete one. I mean, there aren't a whole lot of people to invite so finding a venue shouldn't be difficult. We were thinking fall." Peeta explained.

"Fall is a good time for a wedding, and not too far away, either. I'll see what I can do to scout out some options for you." Gale offered, already pulling out his phone to scroll through his contacts.

Gale was good at finding deals and pulling in favors. Katniss didn't need to worry about how they would afford anything.

"Oh my darling, I must say you look particularly cute today." Peeta whispered to Katniss after Gale had walked her down the short aisle and placed her hand in Peeta's.

"I could say the same to you." She smiled, blushing a bit. The officiator cleared his throat and they gave him their attention.

They repeated their vows.

They exchanged a meaningful kiss.

They were off to their cabin in the woods to celebrate their honeymoon, both smiling widely as their friends threw rice and blew bubbles at them. Jo managed to hit Peeta's shoulder with an old shoe, and grinned proudly when he turned back to see who'd thrown it.

Gunner cried a bit, even without really knowing what was going on, and Rue wiped the tears from her eyes before they had a chance to ruin her makeup.

It was beautiful.


End file.
